Alternative Coast to Coast Walk

Alternative Coast to Coast Walk

An alternative to Wainwright's famous walk, travelling through the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors.

5 to 13 nights
59-133 miles
Moderate to Demanding / Strenuous

From £635 per person

Find your holiday

About the trail

This alternative to Wainwright's classic route offers a gentler walk across the north of England from coast to coast. On this self-guided walking holiday, you'll cross the country from Arnside on the shores of Morecambe Bay to Saltburn-by-the-Sea by the North Sea. The Alternative Coast to Coast passes through remarkable scenery, including limestone hills and ancient woodland in the Arnside and Silverdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the valleys and villages of the Yorkshire Dales and the heathery hills and green dales of the North York Moors.

The famous Ribblehead Viaduct can be seen along this trail, along with many other architectural and historical wonders to enjoy, including Bolton Castle and England’s oldest theatre.

We offer multiple holiday options along this trail. If you wish to experience the entire trail, simply select the first option from the list below.

Choose your route

  • Alternative Coast to Coast Walk
  • Alternative Coast to Coast - West section
  • This route includes dog friendly tour options Alternative Coast to Coast - East Section

Dog friendly tours available

Dogs are welcome on select routes along this trail. Look for the pawprint icon when choosing your holiday.

About this route

5 to 8 nights
74 miles
Moderate to Demanding / Strenuous
2nd January to 24th December

From £635 per person

Alternative Coast to Coast - West section

The western section of the Alternative Coast to Coast starts in the village of Arnside and crosses the rural landscape of the Yorkshire Dales National Park to the historical market town of Richmond.

The trail features varied scenery and a selection of wonderful settlements, including Hawes, which is renowned for being the home of Wensleydale cheese. Tumbling waterfalls, impressive caves and the famous Ribblehead Viaduct all add to the intrigue along the walk, before arriving in Richmond and admiring the town’s fine Georgian architecture and imposing Norman Castle.

Available tours

Code Tour Duration Difficulty Price per person
ACCWW1 From Arnside(L) to Richmond 5 nights, 4 days walking Demanding / Strenuous £635
ACCWW2 From Arnside(L) to Richmond 7 nights, 6 days walking Moderate / Demanding £885
ACCWW3 From Arnside(L) to Richmond 8 nights, 7 days walking Moderate £1010

Alternative Coast to Coast - West Section 5 nights, 4 days walking

£NNN per person
  • Itinerary
  • What's included?
  • Extra nights?
  • Tour facts
  • Route profile
  • Travel info
  • Weather
  • Holiday Highlights
Start

Travel to Arnside(L) where your first night's accommodation will be booked

Day 1

Arnside(L) to Kirkby Lonsdale. 12.5 miles (20km)

Day 2

Kirkby Lonsdale to Chapel-le-Dale(L). 14 miles (22.5km)

Day 3

Chapel-le-Dale(L) to Aysgarth. 23 miles (37km)

Day 4

Aysgarth to Richmond. 24 miles (38.5km)

Finish

Depart from Richmond after breakfast

Your Itinerary

This itinerary lists our preferred overnight stops for this tour. Sometimes there may be a shortage of available accommodation in a preferred location, in which case we will transfer you from the trail to your accommodation and back again at no extra charge. Overnight stops marked with a (T) will always require transfers as standard.

Overnight stops marked with an (L) have very limited accommodation, and therefore more often than not will also require a transfer, particularly on bank holidays and weekends. We will use non-transfer accommodation wherever possible.

The daily mileages quoted are average trail miles only and do not include the distance from the trail to your accommodation. We do not expect you to have to travel more than a mile from the trail to your accommodation in most cases; should your accommodation be further than this, transfers will be provided as standard if practical. A very limited number of stops will require you to travel on foot up to two miles off the trail, however these instances will be clearly communicated to you if applicable.

Further transfers may also be required due to some accommodations having a two-night minimum booking policy, especially at weekends.

Below are the additional costs that may apply depending on your requirements. Dog-friendly tours are subject to a Daily Dog Charge, which will be listed below if applicable. Our standard prices per person are based upon two people sharing a room; if you are on your own, or are part of a group but require a room of your own, then the Solo Traveller or Single Supplements apply respectively:

A note about transfers
Solo Traveller Supplement
£60.00 per person / per night
Single Supplement
£50.00 per person / per night


You can add rest days at any of the overnight stops:

Extra night (Standard)
£65.00 per person / per night
Standard
Interactive
© Contours Walking Holidays Alternative Coast to Coast - West section map
Arnside to Richmond
74 miles (118 km)
2nd January to 24th December

Holiday highlights

Soaking up the atmosphere in the pleasant Yorkshire towns and villages along the trail, including Ingleton, Hawes, Aysgarth and Reeth.

Walking through the iconic pastoral scenery of the Yorkshire Dales National Park and admiring several fantastic waterfalls along the way.

Discovering locations packed with history, from Devil’s Bridge at Kirkby Lonsdale to Richmond’s wonderful Norman Castle.

What's included?

  • 5 nights' accommodation in en-suite rooms (where available) in selected B&B’s, hotels, inns and guesthouses along the trail, or a short distance away via taxi provided at our expense.
  • Breakfast each day.
  • Door to door luggage transfer.
  • Maps with the route marked on and a guidebook or route notes describing the trail.
  • An information pack containing an itinerary, instructions on how to find your accommodation each night and a kit list.
  • Detailed travel instructions on how to get to the start of your holiday and back from the end of it.

Extra Nights & Rest Days

To ensure that you don't miss some of the fascinating locations along the trail, an extra night is a great way to extend your holiday.

A good choice for a rest day is the historic market town of Kirkby Lonsdale. With its Norman church, the scheduled ancient monument of Devil's Bridge, range of quaint shops and picturesque views over the River Lune, it is a lovely place to rest your weary legs.

Richmond is also a good choice, with charming cobbled streets and market place, a Norman castle, unusual church, Georgian theatre and museums to explore.

You can add rest days at any of the overnight stops:

Extra night (Standard)
£65.00 per person / per night

Tour Facts

Total distance: 74 miles (118 km)
Duration: 5 nights, 4 days walking
Minimum daily distance: 12.5 miles (20 km)
Maximum daily distance: 24 miles (38.5 km)
Code: ACCWW1 Grade: Demanding / Strenuous
Season: 2nd January - 24th December
Start of holiday: Arnside(L)
End of holiday: Richmond

Route Profile

Alternative Coast to Coast - West Section Route Profile

Travel Information

Useful information and travel links that will assist you in your plans to travel to the start of the holiday and back from the end of it are sent to you with your full tour pack. A summary is given below:

By Air - The most convenient major city and international airports are Leeds Bradford and Manchester.

By Rail - There is a rail station at the start of the trail (Arnside). The nearest rail stations to the end of the trail (Richmond) are either Darlington (about 12 miles away) or Northallerton (about 20 miles away).

By Bus - Various bus services run to Arnside. There is a bus service from Richmond to Darlington but no direct bus service to Northallerton, so a taxi would be required.

From London - Trains run from London Euston station to Arnside.

Return To The Start - The easiest way to return to the start of the trail, is to take a bus or taxi from Richmond to Darlington rail station. From there trains run to Arnside.

Weather Information

To find out more about the weather forecast for your chosen holiday's general location, please see the following websites:

  • MetCheck - This website allows you to look up detailed weather information for specific locations as far as six months in advance.
  • Met Office - This website shows regional area forecasts a few days in advance, with a general UK forecast description of up to 30 days in advance.
  • Mountain Forecast - This website shows what the forecast is like up on specific hills and fells, and offers forecasts a few days in advance.